“What’s with all the racket, you two? …HEY, wait a minute! There, in the microwave…” Before Levi could take the frozen card out of the microwave, Mammon had walked into the room, complaining. Seeing Goldie again, Mammon let out a laughter of relief and joy. Melody was amazed again at how carefree he could sound. “That looks like Goldie, my credit card! My baby! The one thing more important to me than life itself..!” Then he seemed to realize where the card was, and he frowned. “Get it outta there before the microwave demagnetizes it and makes it useless!”

“Yeah, we were about to…” Levi started to say, but Mammon cut him off.

“Levi, you idiot! How could you do somethin’ so stupid?! You’re dumb as a stump, ya know that?!”

Melody was looking for somewhere she could escape to, fearing a fight might break out between them, based on what she had seen the other day in the entrance hall. Getting between fighting brothers was not at all ideal, and Mammon’s early advice had been to run if there was an aggressive demon. Even if they didn’t get into a physical fight, the way they insulted each other was uncomfortable enough on his own. True, Mammon seemed to bear the brunt of it, but he had insulted Levi as well. To her surprise, Levi just laughed.

“Hmm, are you SURE you should be talking to me like that, Mammon? After all, I’m the one who found the credit card Lucifer took from you.” That got Mammon’s attention, and he gaped at Levi. “So, do you want me to give you your card back?”

“You’d BETTER! …Um, I mean, yes, please. Please give it back, Leviathan, sir …!” Mammon did a complete reversal in a very short amount of time, starting out with a huff, but quickly changing his tone to a placating one, and even kneeling on the ground. Levi just shook his head.

“Ow wow, this is embarrassing! I can’t believe that’s all it took for you to abandon your pride! You’re even down on your knees! You’re one of the seven rulers of the Devildom, Mammon. Shouldn’t you be ashamed of yourself?” Levi was ripping into Mammon, and Melody shifted uncomfortably, but neither demon was looking at her right now. “Well, whatever… Okay then, if you want your card back, you’ve got to give me the Seraphina figurine you won at the convenience store.”

“The Sera…what now? What’re ya talkin’ about? I don’t remember winnin’ anything.” Mammon sounded confused, not belligerent, but Levi glared at him all the same.

“I don’t believe this! You forgot that you even have her! How could you?!”

“Ugh, c’mon, enough! Whatever you want, I’ll give it to ya! Just give me back my credit card!” Levi couldn’t help but look sideways at Melody, the barest hint of a smug smile on his lips. It was just as he predicted: Mammon was ready to promise him anything. But he knew it was a promise as empty as the fridge after Beel raided it. Melody felt like she was going to be sick; this was where her part came in, and it wasn’t a part she wanted to play. She gripped the counter.

“All right, but there’s one more condition: I want you to make a pact with this human.”

“Right, a pact, fine. I’m more than happy to do whatever you…” Mammon started out sounding fairly positive, as he was willing to promise anything, but since he didn’t expect this twist of events, it took his brain a few seconds longer to catch up with his mouth and tell it to stop talking. “…wait, WHAT?! Why d’ya want ME to make a PACT?!”

“Think about it: If you make the pact with Melody, you’ll have to do whatever you’re told, right? Then Melody’ll order you to give me my money back immediately. And since you can’t refuse a direct order from your master, you’ll do exactly that. Game over, I win!” While Melody could appreciate a good video game reference, she was feeling too queasy to even smile at it. Levi, on the other hand, was looking pleased, as though victory had already been decided. But Mammon wasn’t quite ready to concede.

“Pff, I don’t believe this. It’s just money, Levi I can’t believe you’d go through all this trouble!”

“Excuse me? Remind me again which one of us tossed aside what little pride he had left, all to get his hands on a credit card?”

“Hey, you shut up! And you, human! What’re ya thinking, lettin’ Levi use you like this? Are you stupid? Go on, say somethin’!” Mammon was irritated, looking for someone to blame besides himself. Melody just happened to be right there as an available scape-goat.

Melody could feel her eyes widen as Mammon finally turned his full attention to her. Levi also fixed his eyes on the human, and she could tell each of them wanted her to side with them. Neither one wanted to lose to the other. Her vision narrowed; she could only see blue and orange, with hints of gold and purple, staring straight at her. She was convinced that if she wasn’t already clutching the counter for dear life she would have fallen over.

“No…I can’t…” she was almost hyperventilating as she was put on the spot, being pushed towards making a choice. Either way, one of them would walk away disappointed, perhaps even angry with her. And…she doubted the one she sided with would return the favor in the event of an attack. Despite the water she drank earlier, her throat was dry again.

“Nice try. The human knows what’s what. Ya might as well just give me back my card. As if I, the Great Mammon, Avatar of Greed, would ever let some human be the boss of me!” Now Mammon looked as though he was the one with the flag of victory perched on his castle. But Levi had a final card to play.

“Oh Luuucifeeer! Mammon’s here unfreezing his credit card!” That was the final straw; Mammon capitulated.

“I mean, of course I’ll make a pact with you, human! I’d be thrilled to!” He turned towards Melody, expecting something to change. But, he felt nothing. Peering closer at her, he turned to Levi. “Oi, she has to do something too, doesn’t she?”

“Go on, normie, you just have to accept. Easy. This isn’t like hardcore mode, mastery level, boss battle stuff,” Levi said, shaking his head. The plan was going so well, all this human had to do was agree to the pact. Mammon started tapping his foot in agitation. His beloved Goldie was so close, he could almost grab her, but even he wasn’t fast enough to steal her back before Levi could call for Lucifer in earnest. What was keeping her? Was she toying with him? She had seemed so compliant earlier.

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“Come on human, I don’t have all night,” he urged, “Goldie and I have places to go, things to buy.” Then he peered closer to the human. She was struggling to breathe, her eyes so wide he feared they would pop out of her head entirely. Glancing to Levi, he realized the shut-in didn’t notice. “Hey, look, it’s okay, see? Just, agree to the pact. I won’t get Goldie back if ya don’t. I’m counting on you, human. Remember, you said you’d help me,” Mammon pointed out, hoping that his words didn’t wind her up worse. To his relief, Melody drew in a shuddering breath. Slowly the world came back into proper focus.

“Are… you sure?”

“Yeah, yeah. Levi gets what he wants, I get what I want, and you get to go back to bed.”

And then it happened. Mammon felt a surge of energy snap around him, tying him to the human, who had at last capitulated. The deed was done, and she was now, technically, his master. He waited for her to say something, to order him to deliver the money to Levi. But, she didn’t say anything, she peered at him with sad eyes, as though he had taken control of her, not the other way around. What was wrong with this human anyhow? Getting a pact with him was a rare thing that most people would never claim to have, and yet she looked like someone had run over her puppy. Twice.

“Well, no need to burden ourselves with the human any further. I’ll just go get you your money, lickety split, and then ya can get whatever weird shut-in stuff you wanted,” said Mammon, trying to sound dismissive about the whole ordeal.

“But the human hasn’t even…”

“Oh, shut up Levi! You’ve already won, what more do you want? I said I’ll get your money, and I’ll get your money. Don’t get your headphone cords in a twist,” muttered Mammon, drawing out his words.

Levi turned to tell Melody that he wanted her to order Mammon to give back the money, just to be absolutely sure that he got it, but Melody had already fled back to her room. At the end, Mammon had seen the wild, desperate look in her eyes, like a trapped animal. Deep down, he felt bad about it; he was being a terrible guardian to her so far. But at least he gave her enough time to run this time, instead of being the one doing the running. And, just to keep Levi distracted, he hunted down his money and paid him back. Sure, it was a bit shy of the total, but it was enough for Levi to buy what he wanted.

Meanwhile, Melody had curled up into a ball, deep under her covers. She did feel ill, but there was nothing she could do about it. There was no mistaking the jolt of power she had been hit with. It had been a split second of sheer euphoria, but when it faded, she just felt horror. What exactly had she agreed to? And why had she given in? Would Levi have hurt her if she didn’t enter the pact? Would Mammon have let him? But Mammon had looked so desperate to get his card back, desperate enough to accept this pact, even though he didn’t know anything about her, not her intentions, and not her character. Melody rolled over, trying to keep the tight feeling in her stomach from overwhelming her completely.

Melody fell asleep way too late, but felt like the morning came way too soon. Tried, but not willing to stay in bed longer than she had to, Melody managed to pull herself up, get dressed in the heavy RAD uniform, and drag herself to the breakfast table. Four of the brothers were already there, chatting to each other: Asmodeus, Satan, Leviathan, and Beelzebub. Technically Satan and Asmo were chatting; Beel was just eating, of course, and Leviathan was pouring over his handheld console. A peal of laughter from Asmodeus startled Melody, and she winced.

“Asmodeus, keep your voice down,” said Satan, his own voice calm and measured. “If Mammon hears you, he’ll get upset again, and we won’t hear the end of it.”

“Eh, he won’t be awake for a while. He’s really not a morning demon, you know?” Asmo’s response was dismissive, not taking Satan’s caution seriously. “And anyway, how can you NOT laugh after what’s happened? I mean, this is Mammon, and yet a human was able to play him like a fiddle and force him into a pact.”

Melody quietly slipped into an empty seat, starting to dish up a little bit of breakfast, just enough to tide her over for the morning. Classes would start in earnest today. If only Levi hadn’t found the card so quickly. She didn’t like how the conversation was going at all; it just sounded like mean spirited gossip to her. Asmodeus sounded way too much like the nasty kids at school that took delight in the scandals that happened between the students. Apparently Satan also thought this was funny, and laughed softly. Laughter, being contagious, brought another giggle from Asmo.

“Hey, I hear you laughing, Satan! I know you think it’s funny too!”

“Mm, this is delicious. The meat is so tender…” Well, at least Beel wasn’t joining in the conversation with anything mean to say. Not that his meal had anything to do with the subject at hand. Still, at least he was smiling now; Melody wasn’t sure how he fared last night after he left her in the kitchen.

“Beel, calm down. You’re biting off chunks of your plate along with your food.” Levi shook his head at the taller brother, who was definitely eating with a fervor Melody had rarely witnessed when it came to food. Unfortunately, at this juncture, Asmo turned his honey-colored eyes on Melody. She felt her heart start to hammer in her chest.

“Anyway, I have to say I’m surprised. I never thought an average human like you would be able to make a pact with Mammon— certainly not THIS fast. I guess they really did know what they were doing when they picked you for the exchange program, huh?” Asmo was staring at Melody so intently, she guessed the question wasn’t rhetorical. But the way they described what happened, it wasn’t at all how she remembered it. Certainly she didn’t think she had played anyone like a fiddle. She hadn’t wanted to make the pact at all to begin with. It was only at the insistence of both demons that she gave in.

“I wasn’t trying to play anyone…or do anything like that at all,” she stammered out.

“Well, I guess it could simply be beginner’s luck, yes…” Satan agreed with a dry laugh, smiling pleasantly. Leviathan echoed this with his own laugh.

“All I know is that I finally got Mammon to give me back my money. So I couldn’t ask for a better outcome! Epic win for Leviathan! I should’ve rounded up a random human and done this sooner!” While Melody was relieved Levi wasn’t angry at her for her reluctance, she couldn’t help but feel used and tossed aside with his callous description labeling her as a ‘random human’. She shrunk further into her seat, barely listening to Levi as he rambled on about how excited he was to get what he wanted. But when Asmo spoke, she almost instinctively turned her head towards the sound.

“You know, I find it surprising that Melody managed to make a pact with Mammon… …but what’s even more shocking is the team-up with Levi that helped make it happen. Don’t you think?” Asmo said, mostly speaking to Satan again. Satan let out another soft chuckle.

“Yep, I never thought I’d see the day that a human won over Levi, but here we are.”

“Excuse me?! Don’t go getting the wrong idea. Nobody won me over! Our interests just happened to align, that’s all! The relationship was purely business! I mean, why would I want anything to do with some non-otaku normie of a human? I wouldn’t! I mean, I’m spoken for! I’m no cheater! M-M-My one true love is—” As Levi sputtered, blushing beet red, he was interrupted by a word from Beelzebub.

“Cheeseburgers.” Beel had cleared his mouth long enough to say the single word. Melody couldn’t tell if he was actually stepping in to fill in the blanks left behind by Levi’s stuttering, or if it was just a random interjection that happened to line up. Either way, he was smiling broadly as he spoke. Levi was not impressed.

“No! That’s YOUR one true love, Beel!”

“Mm.. I get hungry just thinking about them.”